Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Posts tagged: Youth

Youth

Afghanistan 1400: The dawn and decline of a political movement

Rachel Reid •

Ten years ago, a group of bright young Afghan professionals formed Harakat-e-Afghanistan 1400 (Afghanistan 1400 Movement), aiming to break the mould of Afghan politics. With the new century of the Afghan calendar year 1400 (2021) as their horizon, they wanted to establish a political entity that – unlike existing Afghan political parties – was not based […]

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Afghanistan Election Conundrum (19): A young ‘wave of change’ for the Wolesi Jirga?

AAN Team • Thomas Ruttig •

Afghanistan’s parliamentary election campaign ended on Wednesday 17 October 2018 with the killing of Helmand candidate Jabbar Qahraman by a mine explosion in his campaign office – the fifth candidate killed during the campaign period. “Taghir” – change – has been a key word in many of the campaigns and a hope expressed by many […]

Political Landscape Read more

AAN Paper: Afghanistan’s new generation of Islamic activists

AAN Team •

Since the fall of the Taleban, Afghanistan has gone through a great deal of changes. The efforts to establish a democratic and pluralistic political system, the hugely improved access to the rest of the world through media and telecommunication, the emergence of a middle class as a result of a growing economy and the influx […]

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Beyond Jihad and Traditionalism: Afghanistan’s new generation of Islamic activists

Borhan Osman •

Not all Afghan youth who are politically active and who want to change the status quo fit into the often simplified categories of being either progressive and educated, or uneducated and subversive. There is an often-overlooked segment of Afghanistan’s youth that is educated and engages in modern political debates and activities, while at the same […]

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The New Gangs of Herat: How young Afghans turn away from their community

S Reza Kazemi •

In the city of Herat, an increasing number of young people drop out of school, form petty gangs, become drug addicts and generally have problems with their community. Many of these youth are also connected to friends abroad with several of them migrating to Iran, Europe and Australia to escape the local community, and recently […]

Context and Culture Read more

Ahmad Zaher or Manga Style? The cutting-edge business of Afghan barbers

Obaid Ali •

A young Afghan man’s morning, across the country, often starts with a time-consuming session of arranging his hair. Afghan men are proud of their usually thick, glossy tufts and barbers accordingly make good business providing their style-hungry customers with the latest cuts. This has tradition. A variety of distinct hairstyles can be seen on photographs […]

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breakdance master class in Kabul

A Break(dance) from the Elections: The street hits the Kabul stage

payvand •

As election chaos and fraught discussions over Afghanistan’s future weary even the most passionate activist, there is a fringe of Afghans only minimally concerned with politics who spend their time… breakdancing? Not the most intuitive choice for young citizens of a country where many still frown on music and dance. Or perhaps it is the […]

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Kommentar Wahl in Afghanistan: Verlierer sind die Taliban

admin •

Tageszeitung (Berlin), 7 April 2014 Op-ed commentary by AAN's Thomas Ruttig, saying that although the winner of the Afghan presidential election is not known yet, the losers are clear: the Taliban who were unable to make true on their threat to start spectacular actions to disrupt the elections. The election was one of defiance, mainly […]

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Afghanistan elections: Youth voters ‘vital’

AAN •

al-Jazeera, 4 April 2014 AAN's Martine van Bijlert is quoted on the role of the Afghan youth in the upcoming elections:  "Young Afghans are a large group and are varied in their outlook, depending on where they come from and where they live. There is a tendency to see them as a group that is […]

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Afghan Youth for Democracy? Not all of them

Borhan Osman •

Many observers are looking with hope at the progress in terms of education of Afghan youth and often describe it as a safeguard of democracy during the political transitions ahead. This, however, means painting Afghan youth with an all–too-broad brush and closing eyes to undercurrents that try to undermine further democratisation, says AAN’s Borhan Osman. […]

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Money, Jobs and Mutton Soup: Pre-election discourses in a Herat township

S Reza Kazemi •

In Herat, campaign activity for Afghanistan’s crucial simultaneous presidential and provincial council elections began well before the official start on 2 February 2014, at least in parts of the city’s outskirts. The candidates are increasingly making themselves known to ordinary people and some presidential candidates have also been making initial appearances in local communities. Small […]

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Watching ‘The Patience Stone’ in Kabul

admin •

Afghanistan Analysis blog, 28 January 2013 Young Afghans watch the movie after a novel by Atiq Rahimi (of ‘Earth and Ashes’ fame) and discuss what can/should be shown in movies and what not, with interesting insight from a young mulla.

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